DATE: Saturday, November 1, 1997            TAG: 9711010709

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Decision '97 

SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  147 lines

PARTIES FUND RACES, PLOT FOR FUTURE SEATS REDISTRICTING AROUND THE CORNER, THEY SAY

The Republican Party is pouring money into key local races with its eye on a rare prize: the chance for a bigger say in how congressional and legislative districts are redrawn.

For the first time in more than a century, the GOP could gain control of the state House of Delegates and would then have the upper hand in the process of setting new boundaries for voting districts.

The party that controls the General Assembly during redistricting has a golden opportunity to ensure that the new lines create communities of like-minded voters who share its interests.

Recognizing this, Republican leaders and activists have pumped more than $300,000 into legislative races throughout Virginia. Democrats, trying to preserve a shaky majority in the House, have responded in kind.

The bulk of the redistricting work will happen after the 2000 census. But an important preview will occur this winter when the General Assembly redraws Newport News Democrat Robert C. Scott's congressional district, which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional because it was racially gerrymandered.

Republicans challenged the design of the district, which runs from Portsmouth northeast to Essex County, with fingers stretching into black sections of Richmond and Petersburg.

Now, they want a lead role in changing it.

The stakes are high: Changes toScott's district are likely to force new boundaries in three other Hampton Roads districts.

``It really does mean, when you start redrawing the lines, that public policy will shift,'' said Hampden Smith, a Washington and Lee professor who has studied the history of Virginia redistricting.

``If you reduce the number of urban dwellers and increase suburban dwellers, you will get more responsiveness to the things that the suburbanites want. Representative democracy works. There's more to this than partisan politics; it's about the making of public policy.''

Congressional and state legislative districts traditionally are redrawn every 10 years, after each national census. The census details population changes that in turn affect how voting areas are carved. To ensure that voters get equal representation, the law requires that districts have roughly the same number of citizens.

National and state Republican Party officials acknowledge that redistricting is one of their primary reasons for working to get specific candidates - including Beverly Graeber in Norfolk and Dan Evans in Portsmouth - elected in traditionally Democratic districts.

Why? Because gaining a majority in the General Assembly - and with it greater control over redistricting - is finally within the party's reach.

The House currently has 53 Democrats, 46 Republicans and one independent. The Senate, whose members are not up for re-election this year, has an even number of Republicans and Democrats - 20 each.

The House's Privileges and Elections Committee, along with a Senate committee of the same name, is responsible for redrawing congressional and state legislative districts. The plans are then sent to the entire legislature for approval.

The committee's makeup - 12 Democrats, eight Republicans and one independent - likely would change if Republicans gained control of the House.

``We're talking about laying a foundation here that will last for years to come,'' said J. Randy Forbes, chairman of the Republican Party, who is running unopposed in the 78th district. ``If we can gain seats in this race, then we have one more election (before redistricting). We would have a good opportunity to take control if we don't do it this time.''

While the 3rd Congressional District was the only one in Virginia to be challenged, many legislative districts in the state have strange boundaries, and some run for more than 100 miles. The 18th Senatorial District, for example, forms a narrow ribbon stretching from Portsmouth past Lake Gaston to South Boston, which Portsmouth's Louise Lucas represents.

Chesapeake has seven different House districts, six of them shared with other cities.

``It's hard to have a community of interest when you're carved up so many ways,'' Forbes said.

The 87th House District lies largely in Norfolk - and is represented by a Norfolk resident, Del. Thelma Drake - but it also includes the Chesapeake Beach community in Virginia Beach.

``Right now, Virginia Beach has one precinct in the district,'' said Drake, who is running for re-election. ``I have no problem representing the Beach as well. But it's not fair. There's one group of people that feels outside.''

Drake said she believes that Republicans will make the system fair if they lead the redistricting effort. And the only way for them to take charge is for Republicans to gain a majority in the General Assembly.

``There's no question that it's going to get even closer this election,'' Forbes said. ``The question is whether there will be a majority. If we had a fair redistricting plan, we'd already have a majority. We're fighting against the redistricting they did seven years ago.''

Both Drake and Forbes said they only want districts that are more contiguous and representative. But that means districts more suburban than urban - districts that tend to favor Republicans.

Because Virginia is subject to the federal Voting Rights Act, any plan passed by the General Assembly must then be submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval.

While a Republican or Democratic majority can cut districts that might favor one party over another, they can't do it so that it disadvantages a minority group. At the same time, under the Supreme Court's ruling, racial makeup cannot be the predominant consideration in drawing the districts.

In Hampton Roads, the 20 House of Delegates seats are split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.

Republican and Democratic parties and their key officials have donated about $135,000 to local campaigns to try to win seats in important areas - those races where there is no incumbent, such as Portsmouth's 79th district, and races in which the legislator has only served one term, such as Drake's 87th District. In Hampton Roads races, Republicans had donated nearly $70,000 and Democrats close to $65,000 as of Oct. 1.

Statewide, party contributions total close to $700,000. Democrats have donated more than $380,000 statewide to legislative races, while Republicans have contributed nearly $320,000.

Drake had received nearly $9,500 from Republican sources by Oct. 1. Susan Allen, the governor's wife, came out to campaign for her last week.

Party contributions around Hampton Roads should give voters a clue as to which seats are at stake. Republicans had given Beverly Graeber, who is running in the 86th District, $26,700 by Oct. 1, and she got another $2,500 from the Republican Congressional Committee this week. Her opponent, Donald Williams, had received $20,250 from Democrats.

Dan Evans, who is running against Johnny Joannou in the 79th District, had received $16,650 from Republican sources as of Oct. 1. Joannou got $7,000 from the Democrats.

Democrats realize that redistricting is looming, but their focus is more on holding on to seats in the House by trying to match contributions from the Republican Party in the various district races.

``Redistricting is always on the party's mind,'' said Stephanie Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. ``One of the things we do by supporting candidates in the General Assembly is to get ready for that. But we're also trying to develop a farm team. (A contribution to a General Assembly candidate) also helps the strength of the party and the strength of the candidates in the future.''

Todd Fiorella, who is running against Drake in the 87th district, said he really hasn't heard much about redistricting.

``I'm not an insider,'' he said. That the Democrats have given him more than $21,000 has more to do with his being ``a young candidate running for the first time,'' he said.

``They anticipated I would have a hard time raising money,'' Fiorella said. ``I don't think that had anything to do with redistricting.''

But Republicans are making sure their candidates are ready to tackle redistricting now and after the next legislative elections.

``You don't want to wait until the last minute,'' said Mary Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Republican Congressional Committee. ``We think about it all the time. Redistricting now is literally around the corner.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

Needing the Money to run

Contributions to House of Delegates candidates

Statewide and Area Contributions by Party

For complete copy of graphic, see microfilm KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN FINANCING

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